Tilting mechanism for kerf cutting machines



Dec. 8, 1953 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Original Filed April 1, 1948 INVENTOR: LEON E. SIMMONS, DECEASED. av GLADYS L. SIMMONS, ADMINISTRATRIX ATTORNEY Dec. 8, 1953 E. SIMMONS TILTING MECHANISM FOR KERF CUTTING MACHINES Original Filed April 1, 1948 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 'INVENTOR: LEON E. SIMMONS, DECEASED, BY

GLAUYS L. SIMMONS ,ADMINISTRATRIX ATTORNEY Dec. 8, 1953 E. SIMMONS 2,661,939

TILTING MECHANISM FOR KERF CUTTING MACHINES Original Filed April 1, 1948 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 FIG. 8. 3

INVENTORi LEON E. SlMMONS, DECEASED. BY GLADYS L. SIMMONS, ADMINISTRATRIX BY 6% ATTORNEY Patented Dec. 8, 1953 UNITED STATES TIL'LING MECHANISM m with currmo moms,

Leon E. Simmons, deceased, late of Claremont, N. H., by Gladys L. Simmons, administratrix, Clar m hi, N. L, assi nor to Joy- Mah iaoturin o y, P sb h. Ba, a corpora ion. or

Pennsy an a.

Original application April 1, 948-, Serial No. 18,465. Divided and this application February 7', 1951, Serial-No. 209,744 v 7 Claims. 1

rh s i vent n a e t ke f c tting m ch nes and more particularly to a tilting mechanism for a lgerf cutting machine of the flexibly fed, room and pillartype. e 7

An object of the present invention is to provide an improved'kerf cutting machine. Another 'object is to provide an improved tilting mechanism for a kerf cutting machine of the flexibly fed, room and pillar type whereby the kerf cutter may b d; e r. ew e or e dwi' e ith res ect o h mine flo r- Ye anot er o ct to vide mprov d fl xibly d o nd pillar ype k r c in m ch ne ha n m ro ed hydraulically operated tilting mechanism, and which may be operated to cut in either of opposite. directions along a coal face and embodying novel pumping means driven by the reversible machine motor whereby liquid under pressure-may be supplied to the tilting mechanism irrespective oi the direction in which the pumping means is driven, A further object is to provide an improved control valve mechanism for the hydraulic cylinders of the tilting mechanism. These and other objects and advantages of the invention will how-. ever, hereinafter more fully appear.

This application is a division of a copending application, SerialNo. 18,465, filed April 1, 1948, ow e by the me assi nee s he p esent i vention.

n the a mpanyin drawi s t re s ho n fo p pos of i stration o fo which the invention may assume in practice.

In these drawings: I 1

Fietl; is a n i w o a ker cu in machine n' hi h an i lust a e. form of he n ntion. embod ed .Y

i i asi e d tional iew oi he mach n shoWhihF -L Y a. Fi 3 s a detail ho i al se ti n tak n sub- 'st h allv n n 3 of F show n th skid pl te or s v Fi 4 is an n ar ed cros sec i n taken su stah ly n n of Fi showing details of he ti tin m c an sm,

sis a on end elevational. view of the herri cut in ac in andshowin the machine tilte b ut a l n i ud l ax s, wi h the. kerf Gut-s tor inclined e ew F st 6 is a a m ntary v rti al s n ken on 6:6 f Fieshowin th til ing shoe, c 7 is a somewhat, diagrammatic view side elevation showin th machine iriztiited position, wit the herf cutter inclined downwardly, and figii is a dia rammati View illustrating the hydraulic system.-

(c1, g i z-+30) V H v 2 V th s illu ra ive c ns ruct as hown in the th h ss, the impr d ti tin m an .v 56.11 era ly design ted. Z i shown bo i d in Keri u tingmaoh neof t flexibly fed, m nd pillar type, generally designated 2 and including a fluidres rvoir- 3 a pum means 4 d a. co tro l han sm The ne may be enera ly .lar to tha disclosed in e J or and Patent o- 2,131 pa d Septem= 10 her :7" i33 although! e d n y e t es o the inven on be used n h rut in m hines i: other types. and be used or o h r pur noses-1 s ri cu ting mac ne o n h rein s of he rever ible time adapted to o in i h ro on: nosit d rections along a al a e and compr es a m chi e rame 6 id b i o om or m eme t ov t f oo of a m e m ch ne irame o s a rev rsibl m r 8 in a c rn veh iohal eri cutte 9 d f edi nd u d n drums M1 anel' H. Extending throughout th lowe port on, of the ma h n f am 6 i s ho zo a ehamher it: i which h w d rtier;- o the kerc ter is ar ged T k t? tere ohsa ed, and rela e narrow an p o- .ieot horizontally len thwise of. the machine frame and in udes. a ho i o ta n cu er bar Li bout e marg n oi w ch an e dless cutterhit. ca ying chai 14 is gu ded for circulation so. we o bita loath, Th cu t r r s s t y igid y se ured wit n he low r i f he m chine irame the cutter chain is driven by a chain hroe et need with h w r rtion or he mac ine. trams at th r e d of th s am her it and his-s r cke i co c ed o t e m motor a iih a m rin fully d sc ed. the patent. above it power hafit Q. exte he h z nt y l n th ise o the oh ne-ira he ah fix d to t e r ar e V sm n As so vful y .disolosed i the abo e m n oned pate t th tor pinion. H meshes wi h nd dr ves a spur ear is 2.0 turn, eshes ith and driv s our V 23.; whi a r ectively o hneeth is e drivin elatio wi th feedin and guid as drums Q and t The tossin a d u in drum Q and I are p or insed in coat; 1 e ation at o posite sidesoi that. e independently .ot rfii a direction to .n. Whi cabl s 24 an 25. re= snectiveir wound" on .the drums. Suitably 811K:

.55 ran ed en-the machine frame-are conventional bits on the cutter chain, rewinding the cables on the drums, extending the cables in a reverse manner around the guide sheaves and by reversing the machine motor, also in a known manner.

The improved tilting mechanism l comprises a transverse skid plate or floor engaging shoe 21 arranged in a transverse recess 28 extending across the lower portion of the machine frame and opening through the bottom and sides thereof and located in advance of thecutter chain driving sprocket as full disclosed in the above mentioned copending application. The skid plate or shoe has upturned front and rear edges 29 and upstanding side portions 30, the latter formed with lateral guide lugs 3| loosely engaging the opposite sides of the machine frame at the sides ofthe recess 28-to permit some freedom of movement between the machine frame and skid during sidewise tilting of the machine. The bottom plate of the machine frame is cut away or recessed at 32 (Figs. 3 and'6) to receive the upturned edges 29 of the skid when the machine frame is in'lowered position on the mine floor. The skid-plate 21 remains in contact with the floor during sidewise tilt of the frame and tilts slightlywith the machine frame during endwise tilt thereof. Arranged at the op posite sides of the machine frame exteriorly'of the latter are upright hydraulic jacks 34 comprising hydraulic cylinders 35 pivotally connected at 36 at their upperfendsto brackets 31 suitably secured to the upper portion of the ma chine frame, a shown in Fig. 4. Contained in these cylinders are pistons 38 having piston rods 39 extending downwardly through the lower packed cylinder heads 40, and the piston rods are pivotally connected at 4! at their lower ends to lateral lugs 42 integral with the sides 30 of the bottom skid plate or shoe. The pivotal axes of the pivotal connections 35 and 4| are parallel and extend longitudinally of the machine so that the jacksare free to tilt slightly in transverse planes during lateral tilting adjustment of the machine. Thus, by properly supplying liquid under pressure to the jack cylinders, the machine may be tilted "edgewise or endwise to change the inclination of the kerf cutter with respect to the mine floor, as desired. 1 By trap ping the liquid withinthese cylinders, the machine may be locked in the desired'tilted posijtions, and by supplying liquid to the lower 'end of the cylinders and venting their upper ends the machine may be lowered onto the floor.'

The reversible pumping 'means l comprises a conventional gear pump having its opposite sides connected by conduits 44- and'45 (Fig. 8) to the liquid reservoir 3, the latter herein being in the form of a tank preferably containing a light oil and provided with a filter plug 4 6 (Fig. 1) at the top of the machine frame. Branch conduits 41 and 48 lead to a conduit 49fconnected to the pressure passages of the valve mechanism which is fully disclosed in the copending application above referred to. Connected to the conduits 44 and 55 are check valves50 and 5| which permit liquid flow from the tank to the pump but which autom'atically'prevent reverse fiow. Connected in" the branch conduits 41 and 48 are check valves Hand 53 which permit liquid flow valve mechanism but which automatically prevent reverse fiow. By such arrangement, the pump may be driven by the machine motor 3 in either direction, and liquid under pressure may be supplied to the pressure conduit 49 irrespective of the direction of drive. During drive in one direction, liquid may flow from the tank through conduit 45, past the check valve 5| to the suction side of the pump, and liquid under pressure may be discharged from the pressure side of the pump, past the check valve 52 and through the conduit 4'! to the pressure conduit 49. During reverse drive, liquid may flow from the tank through conduit 44, past the check valve 50 to the suction side of the pump and from the pressure side of the pump past the check valve 53 and through conduit 48 to the pressure conduit48. V

The valve mechanism 5 comprises a rectangular valve box 55 having parallel bores containing reciprocable slide valves 56 and 51 provided with suitable operating levers, as fully disclosed in the above mentioned copending application. The bores containing these slide valves are connected by conduits 58 and 59 to the opposite ends of one of the jack cylinder 35 and by conduits 5e and SI to the opposite ends of the other jack cylinder. Thus, the hydraulic tilting jacks may be separately or concurrently operated under the control of the slide valves 56 and 51.

During maneuvering of the machine about the mine, either or both of the feeding and guiding cables 24 and 25 may be extended to a suitable anchor jack orjacks in advance of the machine,- and the machine motor may be operated to drive the drums In and 'II, the cutter chain [4 and the pump 4. If it is desired to sump the kerf cutter in an endwise direction into the coal seam, with the kerf cutter tilted downwardly as shown in Fig. 7, the hydraulic jacks 34 may be concurrently operated to tilt the machine into the position shown and as one or both of the cables 24 and 25 is wound in by the drum the machine may be fed forwardly to sump the kerf cutter within the coal. The curved front edge 29 of the bottom shoe 21 reduces the possibility of the shoe digging into the mine floor or bottom during this endwise sumping operation. When the sumping operation is completed and it is desired to effect cutting from right to left, the feeding and guiding cables 2t and 25 may be extended from their respective drums around certain of the guide sheaves, and the guiding cable 25 may be extended laterally from the machine to a suitable anchor jack located at the right hand rib of the room, and the feeding cable 24 may be extended from the guide sheave at the front left hand corner of the machine frame to a suitable anchor jack located near the coal face at the left hand rib. The cutter chain [4 may then be driven by the machine motor to cause'a rapid circulation thereof about the margin of the cutter bar I3 and the pump 4 continuously supplies liquid under pressure to the pressure passages of the valve mechanism 5. As the feed cable is wound in by its drum the ma chine may be fed transversely across the coal face and during this operation the hydraulic jacks 34 may be operated to efiect tilting of the machine" about a longitudinal axis, as shown in Fig. 5, 'therebyto tilt the kerf cutter edgewise toenable the same to follow an uneven floor or rolling bottom. Thus, as the machine moves from right to left across the coal face, the guidfrom the pump to the pressure conduit 49 of th 5 ing cable 25 is unwound from the guide drum BtGB 1,989

and the latter may be rotated by the pull of the cable thereon under the control of frictional resistance as is disclosed in the above mentioned copending application. At times, during the transverse cutting operation, the guide drum may be driven to effect winding in of the guiding cable 25 either to angle or straighten up the machine with respect to the coal face. When the machine reaches the left hand rib, it may be. angled with respect to the rib by braking, the guide drum H and the feed cable jack. may then "be repositioned at. the left hand rib to a point located. rearwardly of the" machine so. that when the feed cable is again Wound in at a slow speed, the machine may be moved rearwardly over the mine floor to withdraw the kerf cutter from be neath the coal, thereby to complete the cut.

As the. kerf cutting, machine moves across the coal face during cutting of the kerf, as. mentioned above, the hydraulic jacks 34 of the tilting'meohanism may be operated by properly positioning the slide valves 55 and 51 to supply liquid under pressure to the jack cylinders 35 to effect tilting of the machine either sidewise by operating the jacks separately in the manner shown in Fig. or endwise by concurrently operating the jacks in the manner shown in Fig. 7., to change the inclination of the kerf cutter with respect to the mine floor, thereby to facilitate the cuttng function. By suitably operating the tilting jacks 34 the kerf cutter may be so inclined as to enable the same to follow an uneven floor or rolling, bottom. Accordingly, by suitable manipulation of the slide valves 56 and :i-I, the skid jacks may be operated to tilt the machine to locate the kerf cutter at the desired angle, and liquid may be trapped in the jack cylinders 35 to lock the jacks in adjusted postion. By supplying liquid under pressure to the lower ends of the jack cylinders and venting their upper ends the machine may be quickly lowered to brings its bottom down onto the mine floor.

The kerf. cutting machine, as stated above, is of the reversible type, and during the reverse cutting operation, i. e., during cutting from left to right, the drum ll acts as the feed drum and the drum Ill acts as the guide drum and the feeding and guiding cables are extended from the drums around the guide sheaves to suitable anchor jacks in manners similar to those above described, and the drums may be driven and controlled as desired to effect sumping of the kerf cutter into the coal, transverse feeding of the kerf cutter across the face and withdrawal of the kerf cutter from the coal. The pumping means, due to its novel conduit and check valve arrangement, serves to supply liquid under pressure to the pressure passage of the valve mechanism 5 regardless of the direction-in which the machine operates, and, during this reverse cutting operation, the jacks 34 of the tilting mechanism may be operated under the control of the slide valves 56 and 51 to eiiect tilting of the kerf cutter.

As a result of this invention an improved kerf cutting machine of the flexibly fed, room and pillar type is provided having hydraulically operated tilting mechanism for the machine'whereby the kerf cutter may be tilted either edgewise or endwise to accommodate the same to different cutting conditions. The novel tilting skid and jack arrangement is arranged on the machine in an extremely simple and compact manner, and may be easilyand quickly operated by a simpl manipulation of the control valves which are conveniently located on the machine. "Sim.- ply by trapping the liquid. in the jack cylinders the tilting jack may be locked in adjusted position, and the jack cylinders may be quickly vented when desired. The reversible pump arrangement enables reverse: operation of the machine while automatically maintaining the desired pressure inthe system. The tilting skid mechanism together with the pumping means and control valve mechanism may be readily applied to a kerf cutting machine of a conventional design with a minimum of change. Other advantages of the invention will be clearly apparent to those skilled the art.

While there is in this application specifically described; one form which the invention may assume in practice, it will be understood that this form of the same is shown. for purposes of illustration. and that the invention may be modified and embodied in various other forms without departing from its spirit or the scope of the appended claims. I What is claimed and. desired to secure byLetters Patent is:

1. In a kerf cutting machine, a machine frame slidable on its bottom over the floor of a mine, a kerf cutter carried by said frame and projecting therefrom for cutting a horizontal kerf in a coal seam near the floor level, said machine frame having a transverse recess extending across the bottom thereof and opening through the opposite sides of said frame, a bottom skid arranged transversely of said frame in said transverse recess and having upstanding sides provided with lateral. guides engageable with the sides of the machine frame for. loosely retaining said skid in said recess while permitting limited freedom of relative tilting movement between said frame and said ski-d, upright hydraulic jacks arranged at the sides of said. frame and pivotally connected at their upper ends to the upper part of said frame on longitudinal axes and pivotally connected at their lower ends to said skid on parallel axes, a. source of liquid under pressure embodied in the machine and including pumping. means driven by said machine motor, and control valve means. carried by said frame for independently controlling the supply of liquid under pressure to said jacks to effect tilting of the machine selectively in either of opposite directions to vary the edgewise inclination of the kerf cutter with respect to the mine floor, said jacks swinging slightly on their pivots in transverse planes relative to said frame and said skid during such tilting adjustment.

2. A kerf cutting machine as set forth in claim 1 wherein said control valve means is positionable to effect concurrent supply of liquid under pressure from said source to said jacks to effect tilting of the machine about a transverse aXis to vary the endwise inclination of said kerf cutter with respect to the mine floor, said sides of said machine frame by their engagement with said skid effecting tilting of said skid with said frame about said transverse axis while said skid remains in supporting position in contact with the mine floor.

3. In a kerf cutting machine, a machine frame slidable on its bottom over the floor of a mine, a kerf cutter carried by said frame and projecting therefrom for cutting a horizontal kerf in a coal seam near the floor level, said machine frame having a transverse recess extending across the bottom thereof and opening through the opposite sides of said frame, a bottom skid arranged transversely of said frame in said transverse recess and .having upstanding sides provided with lateral :guides ensageable with the sides of the machine frame for loosely retaining said skid in said recess while permittin limited freedom of relative tilt- 'ing movement between said frame and said skid, upright hydraulic jacks arranged at the sides of :said frame and pivotally connected at their upper ends to the upper part of said frame on longitudinal axes and pivotally connected at their lower ends to said skid on parallel axes, said having lateral lugs to which the lower ends of said piston rods are pivotally connected, a sourceof liquid under pressure embodied in the machine and including pumping means driven by said machine motor, and control valve means carried by said frame for independently controlling the supply of liquid under pressure to said jacks to effect tilting of the machine selectively in either of opposite directions to vary the edgewise inclination of the kerf cutter with respect to the mine floor, said jacks swinging sli htly on their pivots in transverse planes relative to said frame and said skid during such tilting adjustment.

4. A kerf cutting machine as set forth in claim 3 wherein said control valve means is positionable to effect concurrent supply of liquid under pressure from said source to said jack cylinders to effect tilting of the machine about a transverse axis to vary the endwise inclination of said kerf cutter with respect to the mine floor, said sides of said machine frame by their engagement with said skid effecting tilting of said skid with said frame about said transverse axis while said skid remains in supporting position in contact with the mine floor.

5. In a kerf cutting machine, a machine frame slidable over the floor of a mine, a kerf cutter carried by said frame and projecting therefrom for cutting a horizontal kerf in a coal seam near the floor level, said machine frame having a transverse recess extending across the bottom thereof and opening through the opposite sides of said frame, a narrow bottom skid arranged transversely of said frame in said transverse recess and having sliding contact with the mine floor, said skid having upstanding sides provided with lateral guides engaging the sides of said frame at the side edges of said recess for loosely retaining said skid in said recess while permitting limited freedom of relative movement between said frame and said skid, upright hydraulic jacks mounted at the sides of said frame near the top of the latter and extending downwardly into connection With the upstanding sides of said skid, a source of liquid under pressure embodied in the machine, and control valve mechanism carried by said frame and positionable to effect supply of liquid under pressure from said source separately to said jacks to effect lateral tilting of the machine in either of opposite directions, said control valve mechanism also positionable to effect supply of liquid under pressure from said source concurrently to said jacks to tilt the machine about a transverse axis, thereby to vary both the sidewise and endwise inclinations of said kerf cutter with respect to the mine floor.

6. A kerf cutting machine as set forth in claim 5 wherein said jacks are pivotally connected at their opposite ends respectively to said frame and to said skid on parallel axes extending longitudinally of the machine whereby said jacks may tilt sidewise during lateral tilting of the machine, and sides of said frame by their engagement with the sides of said skid effecting tilting of said skid with said frame during tilting of the latter about said transverse axis.

7. A kerf cutting machine as set forth in claim 6 wherein the front and rear edges of said skid are curved upwardly to permit bodily endwise movement of the machine over the mine floor while the machine is maintained in tilted posi tion about said transverse axis by said skid.

GLADYS L. SIMMONS.

Administratria: of the estate of Leon E. Simmons,

deceased.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS n NJ, 

